Lottery or wagering games are well known wherein players place a wager on the outcome of an event, such as a random selection of numbers, objects, or other indicia, and the wager is won or lost depending on the outcome of the event. For example, in a typical lottery game such as a Pick-3 or Pick-4 game, players may place a wager and designate particular picks or selections from a defined field of numbers or other indicia. Alternatively, the player may opt for a “quick-pick” option wherein their selections are randomly generated by the lottery system. At a subsequent drawing, the lottery gaming authority randomly generates (for example, by mechanical, electrical, or software generation) a “winning” set of game numbers from the field, and a player “wins” if their picks match all or some combination of the winning numbers.
Other types of lottery or wagering games include instant “scratch-off” lottery games. In these games, a player purchases an instant “scratch-off” ticket embodying a single play of a particular instant “scratch-off” lottery game. The player then scratches off certain fields on the ticket according to the rules of the game. A player “wins” if one or more of the scratched-off fields reveal a winning event.
The industry is continuously seeking ways to generate player interest and excitement in the gaming experience. For instance, the instant “scratch-off” games can have various themes to make the instant “scratch-off” games more entertaining to players. For instance, the games may relate to, for example, professional sports teams, organizations, game shows, tv shows, or other themes. The games are typically sanctioned or licensed by the organizations that own the various intellectual property rights associated with the games, for example, logos, trademarks, or other intellectual property. NASCAR® licensed instant lottery games are a well known example of a sponsored or licensed game. Such games have wide appeal to the avid fans and supporters of the organization, and may be preferred by retailers and lottery promoters for this reason alone.
Bonus features have also been introduced into lottery games to make the games more attractive to players. In a typical scenario, the player purchases the bonus feature option upon placing their initial wager for the lottery game. If the player wins a prize amount in the game, the bonus feature may increase the prize amount by a predetermined factor, or a randomly generated factor that is determined at the time of the lottery game. A well known version of this concept is the Powerball® lottery game with the Power Play option.
A primary motivation for players to play a lottery game is the possibility the player may win a prize such as a cash prize, merchandise prize, gift certificate, travel package or other prize after playing the particular lottery game. However, players may become discouraged from playing the lottery games if the player never wins the game prize. The present invention provides a unique rewards program that encourages players to participate in lottery games by permitting the player to redeem or collect rewards even if the player loses the lottery game.